2024-2025 ACC Executive Summary
“Protecting Consumers Through Education”
Issued By:
Thomas Hinton
President & CEO
American Consumer Council
San Diego, CA
(800)-544-0414
www.americanconsumercouncil.org
ACC’s Overall Performance in FY 2024-2025:
The American Consumer Council (ACC) is pleased to report high growth during the past fiscal year. As we begin our new budget year, ACC can report strong growth in three strategic areas: Financial Performance, Membership Development, and Program Achievements.
During the FY 2024-2025, the American Consumer Council experienced a significant increase in revenues, up 21.02% while expenses rose 13.58%.
ACC’s net assets increased by $457,833 during the past fiscal year.
ACC’s partnership with credit unions reached 143 SEG relationships as we closed our books on April 30, 2025. Individual memberships increased by 23% to over 432,000 and Business memberships increased by 36%. These are record numbers for ACC that were largely fueled by deep concerns among consumers and businesses about potential tariffs, the rising cost of goods and services, and uncertainty in the financial markets as the Trump Administration determines its economic and global policies.
As we begin our new fiscal year, American consumers tell us their primary concerns continue to be their uncertainty about economic stability, preserving Social Security and Medicare, as well as the lack of cooperation among Democrats and Republicans to solve major issues that will determine how consumers spend their money in 2025 and beyond. Their key issues in order of importance are: the “Boomerang Effect “of Tariffs on consumers, Food and Gas prices, affordable Health Insurance, rising medical care costs, drug prescription costs, housing affordability; and serious tax reform for the middle class.
At the same time, nagging worries about inflation and international relations over rising tensions between the United States and both China and Russia are now troubling consumers. This is the first time that international concerns have appeared in our Consumer Survey results.
Consumer Education:
ACC’s financial education video series continues to attract Millennials and Gen Z’ers (18-35 year-olds) who are hungry for short, topic-specific videos that address their concerns when it comes to making money, saving money and spending it wisely. Viewership of ACC’s financial education videos is up 28% over the previous year as ACC attracts more 18-35 year old members who are entering their peak spending years. These videos can be viewed on the ACC website: www.americanconsumercouncil.org The videos are sponsored by ACC and provided at no charge to our members and credit union partners.
As part of our education commitment to consumers, ACC completed a major upgrade of its website: www.americanconsumercouncil.org We now have two language versions of our website – English and Spanish – that will help us reach the fast-growing Spanish-speaking market across the country.
2025-2026 Forecast:
Based on member surveys and our analysis of the national economy and global conflicts. ACC anticipates our organization will continue to grow by double digits in the areas of individual membership, business memberships, and credit union participation. We are seeing more American consumers joining proactive organizations like ACC as a means to secure their financial future by joining one of ACC’s trusted credit union partners and lending their voices to important economic concerns that ACC is addressing that are impacting our members’ financial stability and growth.
We also anticipate the number of small businesses will continue to grow as ACC creates more opportunities through its Small Business Success program. Credit Unions are a key partner in helping ACC reach small businesses.
ACC is cautiously optimistic about the American economy through 2025 despite the political divide and chaos in Washington, D.C. We expect economic growth to be 2.5%, with inflation remaining near 3%. The unemployment rate is expected to peak at 4.1%. Also, it appears the Federal Reserve Bank is poised to reduce interest rates by .05% in the second half of 2025 assuming political conditions and global relationships don’t worsen.
As ACC’s membership continues to grow, the current pace of membership growth is projected to be at least 16% in FY 2025-2026, with business memberships continuing to grow at 22%.
ACC’s revenue growth is projected at 18% while expenses will increase by 12%.
2025 Annual Meeting:
In compliance with our Bylaws, ACC will hold its 2025 annual meeting on Friday, August 22, 2025, at 9:00 am EDT at the Old Saybrook Resort in Connecticut. This annual meeting will be limited to the ACC Board of Directors and ACC’s Advisory Council Members. However, members and guests may participate virtually via ACC’s conference call service.
For more information, please email ACC at: info@americanconsumerconference.org
Thanks to ACC’s Board:
We are grateful to ACC’s Board of Directors for their commitment to serve our association during this period, and for their support as we continue to work towards fulfilling our mission of consumer advocacy, financial education, and corporate social responsibility.